Text CRUSH to 21222
by everyoneisMISunderstood
Summary: Clare's so sick of Eli avoiding her and avoiding his feelings for her, but she has no idea what to do.  So when an ad comes on TV promising  help with all her relationship problems, she decides to give it a shot in a desperate last resort... TwoShot.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) So. For those of you who aren't in America, you might not understand this, but I'll try and make it as clear as possible. You know that commercial, the one about the love quiz? Well, I decided to write a fanfic based off it, haha XD**

**Italics is Clare thinking, Underlined and italics is the person on the other line, and underlined is Clare's messages.  
**

Clare sighed before throwing herself on to her bead and burying her head in a pillow. She stifled a scream then realized it didn't matter, so she let the air out of her lungs in one long, high-pitched screech.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

It didn't help much because it only reminded her even more of _him_, of the time they'd spent together on that one day when she'd actually decided it was worth it to skip school. She'd been trying to forget about Eli, but when they saw each other in hall, it tended to be a bit awkward, and Clare suspected it was something that went both ways.

It had been a few months since he told her about Julia, his dead ex-girlfriend. Or, with the way he was acting, dead _girlfriend_. No ex. He might as well have still been dating her, he was so faithful.

The thought shamed Clare instantly, and she sent up a quick apology to Julia through God. She didn't mean it, she was just so frustrated.

Eli liked Clare. Clare liked Eli. Adam was sick of them beating around the bush. Clare was sick of beating around to bush.

But Eli? Well, Eli didn't want to do anything about their feelings for each other. He just didn't seem to care enough about Clare to let go of his past, and it made Clare upset.

She hadn't allowed herself to cry over the situation yet, but the idea was so tempting, she didn't bother trying to swallow her tears. She let them fall from her eyes as her shoulders heaved while loud sobs passed through her lips. She pounded on her mattress, giving herself permission to act like a child.

Clare hiccuped loudly, little droplets of salty water soaking her pillow. It just wasn't fair that when she first fell in love it had to be over before anything even started.

Sighing, she turned on her TV in hopes of distracting herself. There wasn't anything good on, so she just kept it on a channel and searched for one of her _Fortnight_ novels. She selected her favorite one and flipped open to a random page, allowing herself to become immersed in a fictional world that was not her own.

Clare always focused better while reading with a bit of background noise, so she tended to half-listen to what was coming out of the speakers on her television set. She picked up her head at the Snuggie commercial (because nothing cheers you up like people wearing backwards robes) when the end of the following one caught her attention.

"Do you want to know if he's been cheating on you, or if your relationship will last? Text CRUSH to 21222!"

For a second, Clare considered it, then felt extremely foolish. There was _no way_ anything like that could actually work.

"You'll talk with our live experts!"

Her hand twitched toward her phone before she jerked it back, like she touched a white-hot iron. It didn't matter if they were live experts, they were probably just a bunch of people with nothing better to do.

How did one become an expert on love anyway?

It was just _silly._

But still...

Could it really hurt just to try, if only to laugh about the situation later? It was only five dollars for five credits, and that wasn't too bad, right? She could get a good chuckle out of the quiz, so what did it matter?

With her mind made up, Clare reached for her phone again. _Am I really going to do this? _She asked herself.

Yes. She was.

CRUSH

She typed the message and sent it to 21222, trying not to get too eager for the response. It took awhile, perhaps five minutes, but eventually her phone buzzed and she read on the screen:

_You have reached the Love Quiz, sponsored by Jamsterz, what is your question?_

Clare sighed. There was no turning back, even though she really wanted to. What was she thinking, asking for love advice from people she didn't even know?

It was her last resort. Jenna was a skank and would probably just try and steal Eli just because Clare liked him, and Alli... well, she had issues of her own to deal with. She didn't want to put Adam in the middle, and her family wouldn't approve.

So who was left? Some random person that was probably desperate for money.

I know this guy, let's call him Fred. Fred and I like each other a lot, but he's still getting over his dead ex-girlfriend and needs time... what do I do?

Clare resisted the urge to bang her head on the wall. The other person would probably think she was joking, her life was like some teen soap opera.

She tapped her fingers on the desk, wondering if they'd just decided she was playing them. Then, sure enough, her cell vibrated.

_Give him as much time as he needs, you'll only push him away if you continue to press._

What kind of an answer was that?Even Clare could have figured that out on her own... she didn't want to tell someone her whole life story, so she tried to think of a way to condense everything she was feeling into a short text.

Clare quickly typed out a response, miraculously without typos.

We used to be so close, and I miss him. 

But it wasn't that she just missed him... she missed being _around_ him, of being able to look at him and feel slightly dizzy and overwhelmed. It was a wonderful feeling, to be able to lose yourself because of another person, and she was finally ready to admit it.

She loved Eli.

When people go to Clare because she's such a trustworthy person, such a good listener and tell her their person tragedies, she feels empathetic. But when Eli told her about Julia, her heart just shattered. To know that he was feeling so much pain caused her pain, and she couldn't stand knowing that he was hurting. She wanted to take all his worries and brush them away, just to see that familiar smirk that made her heart race.

Slowly, she added:

I think I might even love him, but he doesn't acknowledge our friendship. I just need him in my life, how can I convince him to talk to me?

There was a long pause, and Clare was certain the person got bored and decided she wasn't worth their time. Just like Eli did.

_Oh, stop that Clare, you know that's not true._ Her inner conscience reprimanded her, and she winced, knowing the little voice was right.

He cared about her too, she was pretty sure. She'd seen him staring at her when he though she wasn't paying attention, and once she even caught him writing her name down on a piece of paper because he was thinking about her.

So why wouldn't it work? Was it just not meant to work?

_You can't convince him to do anything. It's his decision, but maybe you should just tell him how you feel._

Clare couldn't think of anything to say, so she just stopped whole thing was a stupid idea, why had she even bothered asking?

Maybe she already knew what the answers would be, but she was hoping for something different. She loved Eli, and he didn't love her. He was hung up on someone else, and while it sucked, she knew there had to be something to do to change it.

She buried her head in the pillow and shrieked again, this time feeling a bit better.

Now to decide what to do. Was she going to take the advice given to her, or should she just let it go and wait for him to come around?

It was too confusing for one girl to handle, so she changed into her pajamas and slept soundlessly.

**(A/N) Eh... I'm not sure how I feel about this. It seems a bit OOC and quite strange, but oh well.**

**Also, I've never taken this love quiz, so I have no clue how it works XD  
**

**Part two will be up later :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) I'm so glad that this was well received. I must admit, I was concerned, but you guys are awesome, thanks for reading!**

The next morning, Clare arrived at Degrassi early. She usually liked to read a book before the first bell rang, but she didn't bring one. She was up all night thinking about the advice she had received and was still completely undecided about what to do.

She pulled out her phone and opened her inbox. Clare scrolled to the appropriate message, the one that she sent.

Eli, I need to talk to you, don't try getting out of it. Meet me before school starts?

It was something of an impulse, when she sent that, and she was proud of herself. She was being gutsy, and actually worrying about herself rather than other people's feeling. She was still trying to decide if it was worth it though, she felt so guilty.

But, he agreed, so she sat there waiting. She kept reading the text over and over again before finally switching over to the ones she sent last night, just out of sheer boredom.

Well, out of sheer boredom and the fact that she didn't want to think about what was going to happen with Eli. Something was going to happen, she just knew it. But whether it was what she wanted, or the complete opposite, she wasn't sure.

Her thumbs twitched, and eventually she just couldn't help it. She had to send them another message.

I've decided I'm going to talk to him about Julia. I know it's probably not very smart, but I just want to know how to word this; he means so much to me and I don't want to lose him.

While she was waiting, she scrolled back to her other messages, re-reading the conversation she had with a random "love expert" again. She wanted to groan when she read the most embarrassing one, the text where she poured out her heart.

I don't think you get it. His girlfriend passed-

"Clare."

The word was quiet and almost suspicious, and she immediately snapped her phone shut, scrambling to change the screen so Eli couldn't possibly read her texts. She slapped the cell down on the table, turning it over so he couldn't see.

"Eli," She replied levelly, turning to look at him.

He looked good, of course. He was clad in skinny jeans and a Dead Hand concert T-shirt with lyrics scrawled across it, hair sweeping over his forehead, part of it hanging in his glinting green eyes. "Hiding something, Edwards?"

The comment was so off-hand, but it made Clare blush nonetheless. What if, somehow, he knew what was going on? Was he angry? Was that why he sounded so wary when he walked up to her? Was he-

_Clare, just get a grip..._ "No, of course not," She shot back.

He smirked at her then, and she couldn't help but offer a tiny smile in return. When he gave her that look, he almost looked like a kid trying to plot how to sneak a few cookies before dinner. It made him seem almost innocent, though Clare knew he was anything but.

Not that she minded. In fact, she kind of _liked_ it. Clare, liking a bad boy. Almost unheard of, but so true.

"You wanted to talk." It was something usually phrased as a question, though coming out of Eli's mouth, it was a statement. A cold, hard piece of the truth.

Clare bobbed her head, cinnamon curls bouncing as she did so. "Eli, what are we?"

"Well, I'm rather certain we're human beings," He drawled, looking her right in the eyes as he did so.

It was almost irritating to Clare. He said it boldly, like he was making it clear he was trying to beat around the bush. While she missed their playful banter, now wasn't the time for it. "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

He frowned for just a brief second. "What are we." Another question, stated like a sentence. He lifted an eyebrow at Clare, probing her to continue.

She bit down on her lip before plowing on in a hurried tone, "I know that you miss her, and I know that if I'm mentioning this there's a rather good chance you'll never speak to me - actually, I did the math, and it seems as though it's quite close to being fifty-fifty, but in any case..."

She took a deep breath, blushing furiously. _Slow down._ She told herself, taking in another gulp of oxygen. "Are you over her yet?" She finally asked him.

He stared at her, long and hard, like he was surveying her. Clare couldn't see any softness, just calculation, like he was trying to figure something out, something he didn't really _want_ to figure out. "I'm sorry," She whispered.

She turned to go. She'd gotten what she came for, so she could leave. Clare tried not to hang her head, instead lifting it too high.

There was a buzz in the background, but she didn't bother turning around to see what it was. Walking on, she commanded herself not to look back because if she did, she'd probably break down.

"Clare."

It was so much like the first time he said her name that day, that she spun, lifting an eyebrow. There was something odd about his posture, the way his head was bent, eyes darting back and forth like he was reading...

Reading. Reading something. Something like a _text._

Clare sprinted over, trying to snatch the phone out of his hand while his eyes got wider and wider. She reached up, fingertips stretching, but she couldn't reach it from the way he was positioned.

_Please, God, don't let him say anything. Plea-_

"What... what is this?" He finally spluttered.

Clare bowed her head, ashamed. "It's a... love quiz."

"A love quiz!" Eli exclaimed.

Then he laughed. Real laughter, loud and raucous, bubbling up from his vocal cords. He actually slapped the table a few times, he was cracking up so badly.

Wanting to just bury her head in the ground, Clare started to back away, thinking that maybe he wouldn't notice her and she could get away with not having to deal with even more humiliation. "Stop," He wheezed.

She stopped, cursing in her mind. "Why did you do this?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" She demanded crossly, cheeks still flaming.

He shook his head in disbelief. "You know these things are scams, right?"

Clare said nothing, only turned around to walk away again. She didn't need to feel so ridiculed by him, she'd already been beating herself up over it, she didn't need to hear it from him too. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Away," She replied flatly, not turning around this time.

"Clare!" He called, walking up to her. His eyes were still dancing with amusement though his tone was serious when he said, "Why didn't you just ask to talk to me first, those people have no idea what they're talking about!"

Clare just frowned, throwing her hands in the air in desperation. "I've had one boyfriend, Eli. _One!_ I'm not good at stuff like this, so I'm sorry if I'm just-just stupid!"

He stepped back, looking stunned. "I never said you were stupid," He murmured gently.

"You didn't need to."

He grabbed her arm softly. "Stop. I guess I'm not that good with girls either, huh?"

"No," She told him, wanting to sound cold, but instead only coming off as questioning. What was that look on his face about, the one that said he was trying to muster up the courage to do something?

Was he...?

He smiled. No smirk, just a genuine, shy smile. "I guess... we can just figure it out together?"

She gawked at him. "I-uh... yeah," She told him, breathlessly. "Yeah."

He passed the phone back to her.

Clare stared at it in awe beofre silently deciding that if she was ever having guy troubles, she would just forget Alli.

She'd just text CRUSH to 21222.

**(A/N) Hm, the ending is a bit awkward, and I'm not too sure how I feel about this... ah well.**


End file.
